In case you're new to how Game Jolt contests work, it's pretty much like this: developers get together (through the power of the interwebs) to make games, live stream as we develop, chat it up, and hang out. There'll be prizes, featured games, and hopefully some Good Ol' Fashioned Fun Time™.

There's a new contest page which has a live feed that picks up site activity, tweets, and livestreams.

Yup. Stick around for the start date to find out the theme, and make some cool games!

Questionnaire: What's most important in a game development library?

28 March 2012

For my final year at university I have to submit a project and dissertation. I am building a cross-platform framework / library that targets Windows, OS X and Android, but need to elicit a set of requirements. I'm doing this with a questionnaire.

If I could quickly pick your brains about what you feel is most important in a game development library, that would be great.

Please either fill in the .doc or .rtf and email me it or fill in the survey online.

New Game: Omnivium

Omnivium is an abstract and atmospheric "dreamscape" game based on the theme of "Ouroboros". With just myself and sound designer Nick Dymond as a team, I was both the game's artist and programmer.

At kick off, Nick and I immediately had a few ideas based around using and making the best of the player's movements. Some of which were directly tied to gameplay mechanics, but many of which were as a way of creating an abstract sequencer or music toy. Nick's specialty, and an area that intrigued me more than the average schmup or platformer.

We decided we would get going, without fully knowing what it was exactly we were making. I remember finding flaws in the initial concept (and almost giving up!) - it was back and forth quite a few times before we nailed another solid idea on the head. In my notepad is genuinely written "MOAR BASSES" at least twice. After a good number of hours and an equal number of both coffees and beers, the end result was Omnivium, and I'm very happy with the way it turned out.

The name Omnivium is semantically comprised of the latin prefix "omni", meaning "all" or "every", and the study of arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music, known as the quadrivium.

New Game: Spectranaut

10 November 2011

Spectranaut is a twitchy colour-switching platformer based on the theme of "Colour". Tom Parry worked on the art, animations, and level designs while I developed the game. Nick Dymond contributed sounds and music.

Spectranaut was developed at the Experimental Play Interactive Festival 2011 - Game Jam in Plymouth in ~15 hours.